Local News

Grants Pass jailed a man for several crimes after he caused a violent disruption at one of the city's designated campgrounds last night. The Police Department reports officers arrested a 41-year-old male subject they identified as "David Brian Rich" at the campground at the corner of 6th and A streets on Wednesday at 9:26 p.m.. Police said Rich was highly intoxicated and reported subjects assaulted him at the camp. He stated the suspects were no longer there and he had no injuries. He was directed to return to his tent and stop drinking alcohol, but he instead decided to walk over to some other subjects and start a verbal altercation. During Rich's display of violent and tumultuous behavior, he was told he was under arrest. However, he refused to follow orders and began to advance on officers while showing pre-assault indicators. He got into a physical altercation with officers and actively resisted before he was taken to the ground and subdued. Rich was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Attempted Assault on a Public Safety Officer, Resisting Arrest, Menacing, Disorderly Conduct and Criminal Trespass. He was being held in lieu of posting $15,000 bail.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested a man for impaired driving last night after a family member witnessed him back into a neighbor's vehicle and called it in. According to the Police Department, officers responded to the reported incident on NW Lynnwood Place on Wednesday around 9:30 p.m.. Police said a family member reported that her 40-year-old father had been drinking and was "really drunk" when he backed his Ford F-250 pickup into his neighbor's Ford F-150 pickup, causing minor damage. The suspect went into his house to sleep after admitting to his neighbor that he crashed into the neighbor's truck. Upon contact with the suspect, officers said he showed significant indicators of impairment -- but he told them he had no alcohol for several hours. He refused to participate in field sobriety tests and became hostile while being placed into custody, so officers obtained a search warrant and took him to Three Rivers Medical Center for a legal blood draw that documented strong impairment. The suspect was lodged at the Josephine County Jail for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants. He was also cited to appear in court for a Breath Test Refusal.

 

Grants Pass Police arrested three men for hanging out at a former laundry business in the downtown area yesterday. The Police Department reports the first incident occurred at 2:37 p.m. Wednesday when they responded to a trespassing complaint at the former Rogue Cleaners on SE G Street. Police said the owner of the property reported seeing two men camping there and both had been previously trespassed from the premises. Officers responded and arrested the 53-year-old and 42-year-old men, lodging them in jail for 2nd-Degree Criminal Trespass. The second incident happened at 4:06 p.m. Wednesday when officers responded to another trespassing complaint on the same property. This time, the owner reported seeing transients smoking something out of a pipe in front of the old laundromat. Responding officers contacted a 44-year-old man whom they identified as "Donn Reeves Fincher" and discovered that he was wanted on a Grants Pass warrant for failing to appear in court for 2nd-Degree Theft and Methamphetamine Possession. Fincher was placed into custody and lodged in jail on the outstanding warrant.

 

For the first time since two new campsites were designated in Grants Pass, police officers moved in to post trespass warnings on Wednesday. According to rules approved by the Grants Pass City Council, campers are allowed to stay seven days at the campsites on SE J Street and 6th & A streets, with a three-day warning before they are cited. During a check of the J Street Camp yesterday, officers posted 60 campsites with a 72-hour warning. Those campers must move to the 6th & A Camp by this weekend or they will be cited. City Council members have expressed concerns that the 6th & A site might not be large enough to accommodate that many campers. Meanwhile at the J Street Camp, one man was cited for violating campsite rules which led to a 30-day exclusion. A man and three women were cited for Improper Utilization of Space. A woman was cited for Scattering Rubbish.

 

Due to an extended weather forecast that anticipates above-normal precipitation and below-normal temperatures, federal and state agencies have elected to decrease campfire restrictions on the Wild and Scenic section of the Rogue River. The Wild Section of the Rogue flows from Grave Creek to the mouth of Watson Creek. Effective immediately, building, maintaining or using a fire, campfire or stove fire is prohibited, with the exception of commercially-produced pressurized liquid gas stoves. Charcoal briquettes are allowed within a raised fire pan below the high-water mark from Marial downstream to the mouth of Watson Creek. All ashes must be carried out. Smoking is only permitted while on watercraft on waterways or in areas that are on vegetation-free sand and gravel bars located between the river and ordinary high-water mark. These restrictions will be in place through November 30th unless rescinded sooner. In addition, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest has moved to "moderate" fire danger, with a reduction to Stage 2 Public Use Restrictions and a move to Industrial Fire Precaution Level 1. Stage 2 restrictions prohibit campfires with solid fuels except in fire rings or fireplaces of certain recreation sites. Portable lanterns, stoves or campfires solely fueled by gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel are allowed.

 

Firefighters battled a structure fire that heavily damaged a local motor sports building on Rogue River Highway early this morning. Shortly after midnight today, Grants Pass Fire & Rescue and Rural Metro Fire Department were dispatched to the fire at LMS Motorsports in the 800-block of Highway 99. Grants Pass Engine 7308 was returning to the station after clearing another call and was on scene within 60 seconds with three personnel. Due to the amount of fire on arrival, a second alarm was sounded to bring in additional resources. A hose line that flows 260 gallons of water per minute was deployed for an aggressive attack. Grants Pass Battalion 4 was able to gain entry into the main shop through the rollup doors with a circular saw, deploying additional hose lines. The fire was knocked down and under control in 50 minutes and contained to the building of origin. Crews remained on scene for overhaul for several more hours. During the height of the fire, both Rogue River Highway and Fruitdale Drive were closed to through traffic. Officials said the cause of the fire was under investigation.

 

US Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have announced that $9.4 million is coming to Oregon to reduce wildfire threats in high-risk areas across the state. The US Department of Agriculture is directly investing $9,422,722 in three of Oregon's national forests to treat areas of high wildfire risk where forests meet homes and communities. The funding is part of the US Forest Service's Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program, which enables national forests to reduce wildfire risks for communities, critical infrastructure and natural resources. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest is receiving $4.4 million for its Grayback Creek Watershed Ecological Restoration and Wildfire Risk Reduction Project. This investment will support strategic planning and forest restoration efforts, community engagement and collaboration, and workforce development in a critically important landscape of the local forest with conifer trees that have mostly not experienced wildfire in at least 125 years. The Umpqua National Forest is getting $4.89 million for its Elk Tribal and Community Healthy Forest Restoration Project. This project will restore forest health using prescribed fire and by constructing strategic fuel breaks in the Elk Creek Watershed. It will build on existing collaboration between the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians and the Forest Service.

 

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office jailed an Illinois Valley man for allegedly roughing up his mother this week. The Sheriff's Office reports deputies arrested a 42-year-old male subject at a home in the 2100-block of Caves Highway on Tuesday night. Deputies said a woman called 9-1-1 to report that her son punched her in the face and forced her to the ground. The woman said she was in pain, but she denied medical attention. According to the report, the victim said her son had been taking his medications and he had no access to any weapons. Upon arrival, deputies documented the victim's injuries before placing the suspect into custody. He was transported to Grants Pass and lodged at the Josephine County Jail for 4th-Degree Domestic Assault. He was being held without bail.

 

Grants Pass Police apprehended a nationwide fugitive early yesterday during a traffic stop in the downtown area. The Police Department reports officers pulled over a vehicle driven by 40-year-old Raven Crystal Clifton in the 100-block of SW J Street at 12:51 a.m. Wednesday. Police said they stopped the vehicle for a traffic violation and discovered that Clifton was wanted on a US Marshal's Service felony warrant for Possession of Dangerous Drugs. She was placed into custody without incident. Clifton was lodged without bail at the Josephine County Jail. Temporary custody of the vehicle was given to her male passenger.